


My Last and Only Hope

by Intangibel (duskbutterfly)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Martian (2015)
Genre: Alec has a plan to save her, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Crossover, First Meetings, Izzy is stuck on Mars, Lightwood Family Feels, M/M, Protective Alec Lightwood, Slow Burn, but he needs Magnus' help, shaumondays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 22:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10448847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duskbutterfly/pseuds/Intangibel
Summary: In 2035, a violent storm forces NASA's Ares III Mission to Mars to be aborted but during the evacuation, Isabelle Lightwood is hit by debris and lost in the storm. The last telemetry from her suit indicates no signs of life. Believing she is dead and in imminent peril themselves, her crew take off to return to their orbiting vessel, Hermes. But Isabellesurvivedand has just made contact with NASA.Now the race is on for Alec, one of NASA's astrodynamicists and Izzy's brother, to find a way to rescue her. With everything stacked against them, including their own mother (the head of NASA) refusing to authorise a rescue mission, there's only one company, one person with a rocket that could launch in time - and it’s owned by Magnus Bane.Can Alec convince him it’s worth the risk? And what will he have to give him in return if Izzy is brought home safely?Forshaumonday's week 2: space au.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [shaumonday's week 2: space au](https://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com/) this idea has actually been bouncing around my head since October last year and is based on [this gifset](http://intangibel.tumblr.com/post/152068815905/malec-shadowhunters-the-martian-au-when).
> 
> Beta'd by the wonderful [LadyMatt](http://ladymatt.tumblr.com) who is usually the responsible one trying to convince me to not add anything else to my catalogue of WIPs but loved this idea so much she actually encouraged it this time. 
> 
> I have altered the story of The Martian to suit my purposes but for your reference, these are the characters from the original that I have used and their corresponding Shadowhunters characters. I'll add to this list as I go. 
> 
> Izzy > Astronaut/botanist Mark Watney;  
> Alec > NASA astrodynamicist Rich Purnell;  
> Jace > Ares III Mission Commander/astronaut Melissa Lewis;  
> Maryse > NASA Administrator Teddy Sanders.

Alec knew he was taking a risk just turning up at Bane Industries and demanding an interview with Magnus Bane himself. The man was not just the founder and CEO of one of the leading private companies in the world engaged in aeronautics, he was a legend in aerospace engineering circles. The patents he’d developed, beginning before even finishing his degree, had revolutionised previously cumbersome mechanisms, saving precious commodities like fuel as well as improving the everyday experience of astronauts. Not only had Alec studied his designs in grad school but he’d heard both Izzy and Jace wax lyrical about his innovations, one of which shaved close to 10 minutes off the rigmarole that was putting on their suits. But right now Izzy was 50 million miles from home, trapped on an uninhabitable planet with dwindling supplies and bringing her home was the only thing Alec cared about.

 

His NASA ID and security pass had been enough to convince security that he did indeed have urgent business with their CEO and gain entrance to the elevator which took him up to the executive floor. Alec knew Magnus’ executive assistant would have been warned of his impending arrival. He was ready with his card and one of NASA’s distinctive red ‘classified information’ envelopes when the doors opened and he found himself face-to-face with not one but three men. Alec knew instantly that the impeccably dressed Latino man at the front was Magnus’ EA, Raphael Santiago. He was as renowned in the field for his protectiveness of his mentor and boss as he was for his own research and his glare seemed even more intimidating when he was flanked by two men who were clearly part of the security team. Glad they’d at least left him enough room to exit the elevator, Alec took the single step they’d allowed him and held out the envelope to Raphael.

 

“I have an urgent and classified matter which I believe Mr Bane will be interested in,” Alec said holding the other man’s intense gaze as he took the envelope.

 

“Mr Bane has back to back meetings all day, Mr…” Raphael paused, exaggeratedly checking the card as though he hadn’t already been thoroughly briefed on who to expect, “Mr Lightwood.”

 

“I’ll wait,” Alec said evenly, standing his ground with implacable calm despite the clawing fear and hope that raged just below the surface. He knew the slightest hint of aggression or desperation and the two goons would have him back on the street before he could so much as draw breath but Alec had a lifetime's experience of hiding his true thoughts and feelings to rely on.

 

Raphael let the silence hang, the tension thick as he assessed Alec but, at last, he seemed to reach a decision. Alec had a moment of pure terror when the hand not holding the envelope beckoned the security guard on that side to lean closer but the words, when they came, were not to forcibly evict him.

 

“Mr Lightwood can wait. He is welcome to make use of the amenities but should be supervised and under no circumstances is he to use any form of technology other than to make or receive calls,” Raphael said to the security guard, despite still looking directly at Alec.

 

Alec nodded once that he understood but suppressed every sign of the relief that was so powerful it threatened to cut him off at the knees.

 

So he’d waited.

 

When Raphael had left, the security guards backed off so that they had a clear view of the whole waiting room but still remained firmly between him and the cleverly disguised elevator entrance he’d seen Raphael leave through. Alec had decided to take him at his word and made a beeline for the coffee machine that was set up in the corner closest to him. Despite the fact he’d practically been living on coffee for over a week now, he’d been too anxious even for that when he’d made a brief stop at his apartment to make himself look presentable before heading back out in the early morning rush to ensure he had been standing at the front door of Bane Industries when it opened at 0700 hours. Now that he’d made it this far, the rich aroma of coffee was too much to resist and he’d had to repress a sigh of pure happiness when he realised it was, in fact, an espresso machine with both automatic and manual controls. He could understand the appeal of single button systems and admired their consistency but nothing beat the ability to control each of the elements, to be able to make for yourself a far superior product by understanding how each of the machines worked and adjusting your input accordingly. It was strangely calming to be able to go through the motions of setting the grinder, tamping the grounds and firmly locking the portafilter into the group head, placing a cup underneath, switching it on as he shifted his attention to the milk, filling the jug, priming the steam wand and frothing the milk. Having spent time working as a barista in college, the process was second nature to him and he’d  had some of his best ideas while his hands were busy making coffee or cleaning the machines, the problems he’d been trying to solve having simmered away on the back burner. By the time his coffee was ready, Alec had almost forgotten this wasn’t just any other day spent in his office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Pausing only long enough to grab one of the pastries from under the glass dome next to the coffee machine, before transferring everything he needed to the small table next to the couch and taking out his notebook to continue working on the calculation of how to shave precious days off the Hermes’ flightpath without sacrificing any of the essential cargo.  

  


<><><><><><><><><>

  


Magnus had been in the middle of reading a complex report for his first meeting of the day when Raphael appeared bearing the flaming red envelope. Only half listening, Magnus had rolled his eyes when he’d heard that it was a missive from Maryse Lightwood, everything was ‘urgent’ to that woman. Fortunately for him, Raphael was even more protective of Magnus’ time than he was himself so it had already been established that it would need to wait but Magnus took a certain amount of pleasure in not even thinking about it again until he finally wrapped up his last meeting of the morning with the European Space Agency. He was glad he always allowed himself an hour and a half break at lunch because, inevitably, one of his meetings would run over. With his next meeting starting at 1 pm, Magnus decided that he’d rather stay in and enjoy his 45 minutes of relative peace rather than brave the lunchtime rush at one of his favourite cafes. Picking up his desk phone, Magnus hit 1 to reach Raphael.

 

“I’m thinking take away from Penang Coffee House, laksa lemak for you or are you going for something different for once?” Magnus said without preamble when Raphael answered.

 

“Why mess with a good thing? But I suppose we should check if the Lightwood boy wants something. I expected him to have left by now but given he’s hardly moved in the last 5 hours I suppose he really is prepared to wait all day until you have time for him,” Raphael said with something that sounded like grudging respect.

 

“I’ve had a Lightwood sitting in my waiting room since 7 am?” Magnus asked incredulously. It seemed impossible, Maryse would have stormed into his office (well, tried to) within 10 minutes or else stormed out, so the idea of one of them actually waiting for hours, seemingly without complaint…

 

“Dios, I told you this morning! He said he won’t leave until you read whatever urgent and classified information is in that envelope. I thought you knew and were keeping him waiting intentionally. But you heard Lightwood and assumed it was Maryse, didn’t you? You haven’t thought about it since.”

 

Wincing slightly at the accuracy of Raphael’s conclusion Magnus reached out for the envelope, reading the card that came with it aloud, “Alec Lightwood, Astrodynamicist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA.” He was intrigued despite his dislike of the Senior Lightwoods, “what’s he like?”  

 

“Focused, methodical, patient. He’s obviously working on complex calculations of some kind but he’s keeping whatever it is in neat piles rather than turning the coffee table into a miniature disaster zone the way _some people_ would have by now. Other than asking where the restrooms were he hasn’t said a thing, he’s just - waited. But _you_ want to know what he looks like, don’t you?”

 

Magnus grinned, humming his ascent as he broke each of the classified seals on the envelope he was holding. Raphael really did know him too well.

 

Raphael muttered darkly but complied, “late 20s, tall and muscular, untamed black hair, wearing more black than a victorian widow -”

 

“Raph-” Magnus’ voice was unusually grave as it broke through, “I might have to put you in charge of lunch, it seems for once this actually _is_ urgent.”

 

“Dios, Magnus just because he’s your type-”

 

“It’s about the Ares III mission. He’s here for some kind of assistance.” Magnus couldn’t say more, not with the words CLASSIFIED: CATEGORY 1 stamped boldly across the document as well as in the header, footer and margins.  

 

“Isn’t that the one-”

 

“Yes.” Magnus sighed. Death was not uncommon in their industry, nor was burying empty caskets, but with each and every announcement, all around the world, they mourned the loss of one of their own. Donne had been right when he’d written not to _ask for whom the bell tolled_ , in this industry they bled and mourned as one.

 

“I’ll bring him up,” Raphael said and then he was gone.

 

Slowly Magnus put the handset back onto its cradle and stared again at the missive before him. It was so cold, so bleak and yet, under all of that, it represented the faintest spark of hope.

 

**< << CLASSIFIED >>> **

**< << CATEGORY 1: READ AND DESTROY ON RECEIPT >>>**

 

**TO: DR MAGNUS BANE.**

 

 _Isabelle Lightwood, botanist and member of the Ares III Mission to Mars who was presumed dead following the storm on Mars on 25 May 2035 which caused the mission to be aborted is_ **_alive._ ** _Contact was reestablished with NASA on 13 June 2035. Actions have been taken to prolong the food supply but these solutions do not constitute a secure or indefinite supply. A rescue mission has not been authorised due to risk to remaining members of the Hermes crew, however, options continue to be explored._

 

_The seeking of classified advice and assistance from Dr Magnus Bane of Bane Industries on this matter has been authorised._

 

_The correction of the public record of mission details or the disclosure to any other party of this information is not authorised at this time._

 

**_Maryse Lightwood_ **

_NASA Administrator_

 

**< <<<<< END >>>>>>**

 

Magnus had always known that Maryse was a hard and unbending figure but to write such an impersonal letter detailing the current policy to abandon her own daughter, that seemed unfeeling, even for her.   

 

Despite Raphael’s description, Magnus is surprised when Alec strides into his office. The man might be on a mission but that didn’t change the fact he looked more like he’d been carved by Michelangelo than the flesh and blood scientist and engineer he knows him to be. His wide, full lips looked soft and he can see where Alec’s obviously been running a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking out at all angles because of its natural wave. There’s something disarming about the cleft in the tip of his nose and the scar that bisects one eyebrow. Already he can see the darkening shadow across his jaw and throat and he can’t help but be glad he’d come clean shaven, he has a feeling that he’d be downright devastating with a couple of days growth. But it’s his hazel eyes that ultimately catch and hold his attention. Eyes that widen when he approaches, hand outstretched to greet him. It’s as though he expected to be simply waved to a chair without the respect of a proper greeting. It makes him dislike Maryse just that little bit more.

 

“We haven’t been formally introduced, I’m Magnus,” he says with a smile as Alec takes the offered hand, trying to ignore the way their hands fit perfectly together.

 

“I’m - Alec.” The slight pause and the hint of breathlessness in his words don’t go unnoticed and neither does the shy smile that accompanies it making Magnus wish again that this was a social call rather than business.  

 

“Thank you for waiting, Alexander,” Magnus said, reluctantly breaking the connection and waving him towards two chairs set away from his desk. He waited until they’re both settled before asking neutrally, “I believe you have something you wish to discuss, relating to the Ares III mission and Isabelle Lightwood?”

 

Instantly Magnus is aware of the shift, his expression shuttering and tension rolling off him in waves but the determination in his eyes remained. He can’t even begin to imagine what he must have been through, first with the funeral and now this. Knowing she’s alive but so far from help must be almost unbearable.

 

“Izzy -” Alec pauses, swallowing roughly as though the words are stuck in his throat, “my sister survived the storm but she is running out of time. She has achieved the unthinkable and actually cultivated the first crop ever grown outside Earth but even so, she doesn’t have enough supplies for four years, which is how long it is until NASA’s next scheduled visit to Mars. At best she had closer to a two-year supply of food and water.” Alec shifts to the edge of his seat, the hope lighting his expression is heartbreaking. “There is a way we can get back sooner, a way for the Hermes crew to go to her aid. I’ve done those calculations hundreds of times and it checks out. But it relies on the aid of a booster rocket, one which could carry a probe to resupply the Hermes for an additional 18 months, enabling them to return to Mars without returning to Earth, as they’re scheduled to do. There is only one company, one person with a rocket that could launch in time to achieve that - and it’s owned by you.”

 

Magnus’ heart clenched, that mission had been years, no, decades in the making. It was historic, the first time a private company had rivalled one of the international agencies and launched a solo mission. It was a testament to his life’s work and this would significantly alter and potentially completely destroy its ability to continue on to complete its mission.

 

“My family means _everything_ to me, Magnus, and I know what I am asking for is - is more than anyone should ever contemplate giving - but she’s my sister and I can’t - I _can’t_ just sit here and watch her waste away. Not while there was any possibility, any chance that I could save her. I will do _anything_ it takes to get her back.” Alec’s voice was rough and his eyes held the sheen of fiercely withheld tears but his gaze never wavered from Magnus’. He held firm where so many would crumble and fall.

 

Magnus admired his bravery in coming here and asking for the use of a rocket that was worth literally billions and admired his dedication to the sibling he’d lost and regained in such a cruel way. He couldn’t begin to imagine the desperation he must feel but it didn’t change the facts. It didn’t change the personal sacrifice Magnus would need to make if he offered his support. It would likely delay his own plans by close to a decade. Knowing it would likely hurt Alec but needing to know, Magnus asked the question that had been burning in his mind ever since he’d read the official classified note.

 

“If this plan is so achievable why was it not approved? Why isn’t this a formal request from NASA?”

 

The effect on Alec was instantaneous, his whole body becoming rigid, a muscle in his jaw working as he looked away. For a long moment Magnus thought he might not answer but when at last he turned back to face him, his pale face etched with grim determination he realised he’d underestimated him.

 

“In the eyes of NASA’s Administrator, our mother, the ‘hard choice’ of sacrificing a single life is justified when the alternative is to take a significantly smaller risk of six lives being lost. She argues that they all knew, all accepted the risks and the possibility they would never return when they chose to get on that rocket and as their families, we accepted it too. That it is bigger than just one person. And yet, she refuses to allow the Hermes crew to be informed, to allow them to choose for themselves whether they return. But I don’t give up on people just because they’re a hard choice and I know that if we could get that rocket to them they’d go back. Believe me, I wouldn’t be pushing for this if believed it was a suicide mission or posed significant risk we’d lose the whole Hermes crew. Jace, our brother, is also part of that crew. But this is my field, I _know_ we can reach her this way _two_ years before we could if we have to relaunch.” Alec paused, drawing in a ragged breath as he stared down at his hands. It hurt admitting out loud the truth that burned like acid in his veins, “but our mother knows that if the rescue mission fails, maybe even if it succeeds, she’ll lose her position as the head of NASA and, when all the rhetoric is scraped away, that’s all that matters to her.”

 

Magnus wanted to reach out, to provide comfort and to help push away the pain that echoed in every breath he took, but he couldn’t. Not yet. He was not the founder and CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation because he got carried away by his feelings. This was not like buying the houses and refinancing loans of employees facing foreclosure during the financial crisis that followed the short-lived Trump presidency - this was hundreds of millions of dollars and years of development and testing which could not be so easily replaced. The only real comfort Alec wanted, could accept, would be his full support and Magnus still had so many unanswered questions. So it was a relief when Raphael’s precise knock sounded and he entered, carrying a much-needed distraction in the way of food. Raphael shot a dark look at Magnus when he saw the young man looking so cowed, somehow managing to look small and fragile despite being well over 6-feet-tall.

 

“Come, Alexander,” Magnus said gently, resisting (barely) the urge to touch him, “eat and then you can show me your calculations and we can discuss exactly what you are asking for.”  

 

Magnus was startled when Alec’s head snapped up, glassy but determined eyes meeting his with what looked an awful lot like hope. It was at that moment that Magnus realised that although Alec was here, asking for help, he did not truly expect that it would be offered. Which put the fact that he’d waited so long and so uncomplainingly into an entirely different context. Had he then expected to be denied a meeting out of hand? But he guessed if a mother was prepared to leave their own child to die alone rather than make a personal sacrifice then it wouldn’t give you high hopes that anyone else would be prepared to lift so much as a finger to save them. In that moment he wondered if he’d ever despised another human the way he did Maryse Lightwood for what she had done to all of her children. The realisation that she would, in choosing to sacrifice one, forever lose the love of them all, did not bring the pity he might have felt for anyone else.

 

“Eat first, Alexander, then we’ll talk,” Magnus repeated, relieved when at last Alec nodded and they rose to join Raphael where he was busy opening lunch containers and setting out bowls, serving spoons, chopsticks and a single set of cutlery, which could only be intended for Alec.

 

Magnus was relieved to see Alec regaining his composure as they ate. It was a mostly quiet meal with Raphael not being one for small talk and Magnus rejecting just about every topic of conversation he thought of because everything seemed to lead back to why they were here now. He ended up telling stories of his travels. The time he and Ragnor had been thrown out of Peru for refusing to allow the government agency to take credit for their discovery of a new meteorite, the fact that they’d managed to successfully smuggle a sample of it out from which they published a number of papers ensured they were now permanently denied entry. And the time he’d managed to convince a Canadian university to allow him to teach a series of lectures outside at night under the Northern Lights, purely because he loved seeing them but he’d managed to convince the head of the course he was delivering that the outdoor location had actual academic significance. It surprised him when Alec huffed out a laugh at that, going on to tell them about the time when Jace and Izzy had managed to stow away in his car when he left on one of his hiking trips out of town. They’d managed to convince him that it was better to call their parents and explain they’d all be back in three days time than going back, seeing they’d grounded the moment they returned and this way Alec would still get to go hiking. Of course, neither Izzy nor Jace were actually equipped for hiking or particularly good at it, so in the end Alec had set up camp in the foothills and resigned himself to eating s'mores (the only supplies they’d brought with them other than sleeping bags) and stargazing instead. His parents had, of course, been furious and grounded him for the rest of the summer for not managing to prevent Jace and Izzy from coming with him - something that Alec seemed to accept without question as his responsibility rather than their parents’ but now was clearly not the time to dig into that particular quagmire.

 

With lunch done and Raphael went to reschedule his next meeting, it was finally time for Alec to present his theories and calculations. Magnus couldn’t help but be impressed as Alec quickly set about laying out the key documents and explaining thoroughly but concisely the three main parts of the problem: where Izzy was and how long she could stay there; how the Hermes could get back to Mars and how long it would take them; and what Izzy and the Hermes would need from the rocket for the plan to work. His methodical nature showed in the neat way he laid out his calculations, which at close to twenty pages in length could easily have been almost impossible to follow. Magnus had certainly had times when he’d been developing something in a hurry and fallen into using his own version of shorthand, unintentionally encrypting his work so that only he could read it. He also hadn’t worked alone, taking input from a number of people Magnus knew and whose opinions he respected, keeping note of their contributions to give credit, even when the plan had since changed and rendered it irrelevant. Alec was intelligent, dedicated, loyal to a fault and positively gorgeous when he got started on Astrodynamic, a topic he was clearly still completely in love with despite its current unhappy association.

 

“So in summary,” Alec said, pointing to the overview diagram he’d put up in the middle, “rather than the Hermes decelerating in preparation for the intercept with Earth they’ll accelerate, preserving velocity and gaining even more. It won’t intercept with Earth at all but will come close enough to get a gravity assist and adjust course. While they’re so close we'll use your rocket to enable them to intercept the probe carrying supplies. Meanwhile, Izzy will have to trek 3235km to Schiaparelli - it's not ideal but the NASA Ares IV MAV is there and if anyone can do it's her. The Hermes will be going too fast to fall into orbit but it can do a flyby and Izzy can use the Ares IV MAV to intercept, then all of them head home.”

 

Magnus had to admit it was a thorough, well thought out plan that had a good chance of succeeding - which was the best anyone could ask for in this industry, where there were too many volatile elements for there to be absolute certainty of success. But it also confirmed that taking part in this mission would mean abandoning all of his own plans for the rocket. It would be headed to Mars and loaded exclusively with the supplies needed by both the Hermes crew and Isabelle Lightwood in order to survive. As devastating as it was, losing his dream, he couldn’t see any other option. Not when he himself had lost friends and colleagues on missions which had failed and would give anything to have the chance to turn back the clock and prevent each and every tragedy. Meaning, the main thing he needed now before he committed to it absolutely, was to ensure he was going to be adequately compensated by NASA for his part in the mission.

 

“I’ll admit, it’s a solid plan. I’d like to go over your calculations myself-” Magnus began only to be interrupted by Alec.

 

“Oh, um, yeah - of course,” Alec fumbled, quickly scooping all the pages up and shuffling them into a neat pile again before presenting them to Magnus with eagerness more fitting of a child than a grown man. But there was self-criticism resting heavily on his shoulders too, “I mean you might have changes, I hadn’t - I should have -”

 

“I understand,” Magnus said holding a finger up to his lips to stem the flood of self-doubt as he took the calculations from him. His finger tingled as Alec released the breath he’d been holding and began to relax. He knew it was time to remove it as Alec’s lips tilted up in the beginning of a smile but he was strangely reluctant to do so. Taking a step away to place the papers on his desk provided the space he needed to get his head back in the game. This was, after all, about far more than a pretty face.

 

“It seems I might be able to be persuaded to allow NASA to use my rocket for this mission, for the right price, of course,” Magnus said, a clear challenge in his eyes as he met Alec’s, curious to see just how far ahead Alec had thought.

 

“I discussed it with Anita - Dr Sengupta, I mean, Head of the JPA. You did your PhD with her, I think? Anyway, she said she’s done NASA requisition paperwork before and said to tell you the compensation would cover not just the physical rocket but the R&D side and significant support to enable you to reproduce it for your own mission as soon as possible. She wrote an outline for you with a detailed breakdown of what’s usually covered and an estimate but she felt confident, given what was involved that you’d be able to negotiate if it wasn’t - sufficient.” Alec paused, taking heart from the way Magnus had smirked at the mention of negotiations, making him remember the mischievous gleam in Anita’s eyes when she had given him the paperwork to take with him. Her casual warning, that very few people were able to deny Magnus something he truly wanted rang in his head even as he prepared to make his other offer. “But NASA wouldn’t be the only ones indebted to you. I - I meant it when I said I was willing to do _anything - everything_ it takes to get her back.”

 

“ _Anything_ ?” Magnus challenged his head tilting as he appraised Alec, his eyes running down and back up his figure in a way that had Alec blushing and gulping. He knew it was an intimidation technique, that Magnus - despite being very open with his sexuality - was unlikely to actually be interested in _him_ like _that_ but still, he couldn’t fight the foreign thrill that rolled through him at the idea.

 

Taking a deep breath, Alec nodded, “Anything.”

 

He let the word hang between them for a beat, making sure Magnus could see the conviction in his eyes before he spoke again.

 

“I - uh - took the liberty of asking one of the department heads in the Legal division at NASA, Lydia Branwell, to set out in detail the finer points of the anti-competition clauses in my own and my siblings contracts and how they might be - _beneficial_ to your company if you were to agree to assist us,” Alec said picking up the white folder he’d brought with him and offering it to Magnus.

 

Magnus raised an eyebrow as he pulled the folder towards him. He was already well acquainted with NASA's standard agreements but was curious to see just how they thought they could be _beneficial_ rather than obstructive. NASA had some of the most restrictive clauses he’d come across in the entire industry and it made it very difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to move into the private sector.

 

The familiar phrase was printed in bold about halfway down the first page:

 

**‘Active technical staff cannot, for a period of 5 years, receive monetary or in-kind remuneration for providing substantially similar services to a private company as the work they were trained or employed to perform in their current role at NASA. This includes not being able to accept a compensatory salary after that five year period which would account for lost earnings.’**

 

The paragraph below it set out the current annual salary of each of the Lightwood siblings. He noted with interest all of them were in the highest earning bracket of their respective field, which put their combined earnings in excess of half a million dollars each year.

 

The offer set out under it had Magnus's head snapping up to look at the young man in front of him in amazement. The fierce determination in those hazel eyes had the witty repartee dying on his lips. Unlike every significant contract he’d negotiated in the past 10 years, to Alec Lightwood this was no game. He doubted it had even crossed Alec’s mind to try to dodge making any personal sacrifice and instead rest comfortably in the knowledge that NASA would foot the bill.

 

“You want to work for me, for free, for the next ten years?” Magnus asked sceptically.

 

“Longer, if that’s what it takes,” Alec replied with a shrug, as though it truly was nothing unusual. “Considering I am effectively paying off my sister’s life, you could insist I stay for the rest of my career and I’d still be getting a good deal out of it.”

 

“And your siblings?”

 

“I have complete financial power of attorney for both of them, it was something we agreed on when they decided they both wanted to be astronauts. There are copies of the POAs at the back of that folder. You can read it yourself later but, in essence, it covers the ability to make decisions and sign contracts regarding property, employment and investments. There is a specific clause regarding instances where it was necessary to sign contracts which would enact NASA’s restraint of trade rules. It’s both legal and binding. And, given it is potentially going to save Izzy’s life, I think you can be secure in the knowledge that neither Izzy nor Jace would fight it.”

 

“And yet your siblings’ contracts would be shorter than yours, half the length in fact. Is their freedom more valuable than yours?” Magnus asked raising an eyebrow.

 

Alec blushed, glancing away as he tried to gather his thoughts. If Alec hadn’t agreed, if he hadn’t let them follow their dreams to be astronauts, none of this could have happened. He felt like he was back on that morning after the camping trip, but instead of expecting him to take all the responsibility and receive all of the punishment for their joint actions, Magnus seemed to think it should be equal. But this time he was also weighed down by the knowledge that, after more than five years out of active service, neither of them would be allowed to return to the program - not even as teachers. And as much as he didn’t want either of them to go back, the idea of signing away their ability to follow their dreams broke his heart.

 

“I’ve always wanted my feet fixed firmly to this planet,” Alec said at last, “but they’ve always dreamed of being up there, amongst the stars. So, while I hope to God this cures them of it-”

 

“Ah, yes, NASA’s golden six-year rule.”

 

“Exactly.” Alec sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and gathering his strength. Opening them he set aside his pride and hoped with every fibre of his being that they’d forgive him, “but if that’s what it takes - they are after all, no doubt more valuable to you - I’ll sign.”

 

Again Magnus marvelled at the lengths Alec was willing to go to, the sacrifices he was willing to make, but he knew now wasn’t the time to discuss that. Nor was it the right time to challenge the fact he seemed to place so little value on his own talent and none whatsoever on his personal happiness.

 

“And if, despite everything, the mission fails?” Magnus asked, doing his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible. If anything broke him, it would be this question but, somehow, even before Alec answered, he knew it wouldn’t.

 

“The agreement between you and I will remain unchanged,” Alec said firmly, “no matter what the outcome is. Whatever terms are agreed on before the mission, I will honour. No-one can guarantee that anyone else will live, whether they’re on Earth or Mars, but if we do nothing I _can_ guarantee that she _will_ die. As for Izzy and Jace, they can only individually honour their contracts if they’ve returned safely but, like me, if only one of them returns then the other’s contract would be enacted in full. In short, the only way you won’t end up with at least one of us would be if we all died and I can promise that’s my least preferred option.”

 

“You do realise, Alexander, this is the opposite of how contracts are supposed to be negotiated,” Magnus said shaking his head, unsure whether to admire or curse his unwavering dedication to making this deal work.

 

“Those people clearly don’t have as much to lose as I do,” Alec said quietly. “I also can’t personally repay the cost of the rocket and my life, while meaningful to me, does not hold a financial value that can be traded the way it could in medieval times. The only asset of genuine value I have is that my qualifications align with the work your company does, work you would otherwise have to pay someone else to do.”

 

“You are quite the knight in shining armour type aren’t you, Alexander,” Magnus said with a smile, picking up on his reference, “pledging your life and life-long-service for in exchange for the welfare of your family. I’m almost sorry I don’t have a castle you could guard or a handkerchief for you to take on your crusades.”

  
Alec felt his cheeks heating and bit down firmly on his lip before he made a total fool of himself by offering to be there any time Magnus needed rescuing. He needed to forget about the fact that he'd swear Magnus Bane was flirting with him and focus on Izzy. He was here for Magnus’s rocket - the literal titanium and aluminium kind with a payload of life preserving supplies... He was so fucked. He’s an astrodynamacist for Christ sake, he can't spend the next ten years of his life blushing every time he thought about Magnus and rockets in the same sentence. It's not like it's the first time he's realised that every part of his job is a minefield of innuendos and phallic shaped objects. He’s heard more terrible pickup lines and put both feet in his mouth more times than he can count but this, developing a crush on Magnus Bane when you’ve literally just offered to work for him for the rest of your life? Definitely, the worst possible version of events if he was to have any chance of surviving with some modicum of pride in tact.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to know what you think <3 Comments and Kudos are always very much appreciated - they're more precious than gold ;) you can also come say hi to me on Tumblr [Intangibel](http://intangibel.tumblr.com)
> 
> **There will be more, I'm sorry I was just having a disagreement with AO3's settings - I'd clicked multi-chap but it was refusing to believe me, finally fixed it :)**


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